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Balinese
Dances
Dance and Drama
The lifestyles of Balinese people is expressed
in their dance. Not only do we learn about the Balinese religion
from their dance creations but also we can come to understand
the flow of cultural events and activities that belong to
everyday life. We can discover Balinese attitudes, how they
look at nature, and how they regard their fauna and flora.
 The
very essence of the Balinese culture is dance and drama, which
is performed during temple festivals and in ceremonies. The
dances performed in hotels is a small fraction of what Balinese
dance has to offer.
Balinese dance goes as far back as Balinese written history
with much of the heritage originating from Java. Ironically,
as a result of the Islamisation of Java, the Javanese culture
has disappeared but has still survived in Bali and has become
part of classical Balinese culture.
Balinese dance cannot be separated from religion. Even the
dances for the tourists are preceded by many dancers praying
at their family shrine for taksu (inspiration) from the gods.
Dance fulfils a number of specific functions: It may be a
channel for visiting gods or demons, the dancers acting as
a sort of living repository. It may be as a welcome for visiting
gods. It may be entertainment for visiting gods.
The typical posture of Balinese dance has the legs half-bent,
the torso shifted to one side with the elbow raised and lowered
in a gesture that displays suppleness of the hands and fingers.
The torso is shifted in symmetry with the arms. If the arms
are to the right, the shifting is to the left and vice-versa.
The Ramayana
The story of the Ramayana greatly inspires the
Balinese. Many of their dances are based on this great story
which is often depicted in a ballet.
The Balinese version differs from the Indian Version. It
is told that Rama, as the first son in a family, was the heir
to the Ayodya kingdom but the king's second wife, through
her treachery forced the king to crown her own son as the
King of Ayodya and asked him to send Rama and his wife into
exile.
Because he respected his father, Rama went with his wife
called Sita and his beloved younger brother, Laksmana into
a forest called Dandaka. Usually the first act of the ballet
depicts Rama and entourage in the heart of the Dandaka forest.
Rahwana, the evil King of Alengka, enchanted by the beauty
of Sita, wanted to have her as his concubine. He sent one
of his knights, Marica, to temp Sita by transforming himself
into a golden deer. Sita, captivated by her curiosity, asked
her husband to catch the golden deer.
The next act explains how Rama succeeds in hunting the golden
deer but as his arrow struck the golden deer it transformed
back into Marica. Meanwhile Sita heard a distant cry for help.
Laksmana, who had been asked by his brother to look after
his sister-in-law, tried to explain to her that the cry sounds
very suspicious. But nevertheless, Sita was convinced that
someone was in need of help. So she sent Laksmana to look
for this person and to help whoever it is. In his desperate
attempt, Laksmana asked Sita, no matter what would happen,
to stay inside the guarding circle that he created.
Rahwana, knowing that Sita was protected by the circle transforms
himself into an old priest. He approaches Sita and asks her
for a drink. Sita, without hesitation, extends her hands beyond
the circle to hand him the water. Rahwana takes the advantage,
snatches her hand and takes her to his palace in Alengka.
On the way, Rahwana encounters a mighty eagle Jatayu. By
every means possible, Jatayu tries to rescue Sita from the
evil king but fails and is killed by Rahwana.
Rama and Laksmana find the dying Jatayu who tells them the
whole story of what had happened to Sita.
In his attempt to release his wife, Rama seeks the help from
Hanoman and his monkey soldiers. Hanoman finds Sita in the
palace's garden. She had been asked by Rahwana to marry him
but she would rather die. Hanoman convinces Sita that he is
Rama's messenger and talks of a plan.
Rahwana catches Hanoman and burns his tail but in so doing,
set fire to the palace's' gardens. The pyrotechnics can be
very impressive.
In the last act, Rama and his troops are depicted attacking
Rakhwana's palace. Finally Rama manages to kill Rahwana and
therefore takes his wife back to his country.
The abridged version ends here but if you see paintings in
Kamasan style based on the Ramayana story, you would notice
that in the last of serialised paintings, Sita had to prove
she was still pure, and had not been tainted by Rahwana, by
plunging herself into a fire. Because of her faith in her
husband, God saved her from the fire and she lived happily
ever after with Rama.
The Indian version reveals a very different ending with Sita
saved by Mother Earth, never returning to her husband.
The Welcome Dance - Tari Panyembrama
The Panyembrama is probably the most popular Balinese
social dance. In keeping with its meaning in the Balinese
Language, Panymebrama is frequently staged to welcome guests
of honour who are making a visit to this islands of the Gods.
Four or eight young girls bearing a bokor, a heavily engraved
bowl made from silver or aluminium, laden with flowers, dance
expressively to the accompaniment of vibrant gamelan music.
During the dance, the flowers are scattered over the guest
or audience as an expression of welcome. The Panymebrama has
taken many of its movements from temple dances, such as the
Rejang Dance, Pendet and Gabor, which are considered sacred
and performed exclusively for God. There is an analogy between
the secular Panymebrama and the religious temple dances, as
all these dances are welcoming dances, the difference being
in the place in which they are stage.
The Tari Panymebrama comes under the Balinese classification
of Legong (individual dances), because it has no connection
with other dances, has no story and was specifically created
for welcoming and entertainment purposes.
The hospitality and friendliness conveyed through the smiles
of the Panymebrama girls, charms the audience and so is very
fitting as an opening for a show, etc.
The Yudapati Dance
Yudapati is a dance which depicts a male character but is
performed by female dancers. The word Yudapati is derived
from Yuda which means war and Pati which means death. The
dance represents the kamikaze warrior in defending the truth.
The dance was created in 1987. It is based on the Baris dance.
The dancer wears typical male attire, headcloth, shirt, carved
leather belt and other jewellery. The reason for a male being
performed by a female is that the choreographer wishes to
reveal all the subtle gestures and movements in the dance
by using the flexibility of a woman's body.
Male dance performed by females is called Bebancihan. A number
of other dances have been created in the s style, such as
Margapati, Trunajaya, Prawireng Puti, Wiranata and Danur Dara.
They require masculine interpretation and expression which
is quite hard for female dancers. Yudapati dance was originally
performed for religious purposes but nowadays is performed
regularly as a tourist attraction in some restaurants.
The Ghopala Dance
This dance provides the audience with an interesting insight
into the lives of people who live in a simple and pure manner
in an environment of blissful tranquillity. This dance originated
in 1984 and usually performed by five boy dancers. The characters
of the Ghopala dance are especially funny and will draw laughter
from the audience.
The Ghopala theme depicts the world of children herdsmen
who gleefully meet and play along the boundaries of rice fields
while tending their cows. Their lives are filled with happiness
as they dance and play in a way which highlights their individual
characters. They never tire of their duties as herdsmen, faithfully
defending the lives of their cattle. Thus the audience are
transported to a distant time when people lived in peace and
contentment, an age which had not yet become influenced by
the bustle of business which now constantly steals our time.
The Semarayana Dance
As we know, there exists many art forms such as
music, painting, poetry, drama, sculpture, etc. and, of course,
dancing is yet another and is a popular form of expression.
Artists will take a certain aspect of a medium, build on it
to form another. This is the case of the Semarayana dance
developed in 1994 as a subject for a thesis submitted by Ms
Ni Nyoman Sri Armita to the Indonesian Arts Academy of Denpasar
for her graduation.
The main character is Dewi Chandra Kirana, a princess from
the kingdom of Daha who disguised herself as a male youth
so she could venture out and seek her beloved who had disappeared
without a trace.
With shoulder length hair, commonly used centuries ago throughout
Java and Bali, the princess was unrecognisable as a female.
The symbol of manhood which fooled people she met on the road,
was the use of the Balinese male headgear called the Destar.
It is made from material that wraps around the head and has
an artistic formation of bunched material at the front.
Balinese males still use the destar when attending ceremonies.
The feature of the destar is the decorative use of gold lines.
Dewi meets her beloved but due to her disguise and the fact
that he is partly obscured when they meet, a fight develops.
In the ensuing melee, the princess's destar is knocked from
her head and her sweetheart, Raden Inu Kertapati, recognises
her and rushes to her side to embrace her.
And, of course, they lived happily ever after.
The Barong Dance
The are several versions of the Barong Dance, as
Bali has an abundance of myths and legends. There is Barong
Ket, Barong Asu (Dog Barong), Barong Macan (Tiger Barong),
Barong Bangkal (Pig Barong), Barong Gajah (Elephant Barong)
and others.
One of the well known stories on which the Barong Dance is
based, is the Kunti Seraya. The plot is very intriguing, showing
the effect of the Gods intervention upon the people through
supernatural powers.
It is told that Dewi Kunti, from the royal family of Hastinapura,
was very ill. As a devotee of the Goddess Durga, she seeks
help, however, the Goddess tells her that the price of health
is her own son, Sahadewa. It seems that the Goddess fancied
Sahadewa's young and luscious flesh for her dinner.
Dewi Kunta recovers from her illness and it is time to pay
the price. She regrets her decision to pay the price but a
promise is a promise. One of the Goddess's followers put her
into a trance and enters her body. She becomes a terrifying
creature and unconsciously beats Sahadewa mercilessly. She
then takes him to an unpenetratable jungle and ties him to
a tree. Later Sahadewa is given immortality by God and she
overcomes the wrath of the Goddess and she is able to release
her son.
The Sanghyang Jaran Dance
The unique feature of the Sanghyang Jaran dance is the courage
of the dancers who in a state of Kesurupan or trance, calmly
step and trample on red hot coals just as if they were walking
in cold water.
This dance is believed to have the power to invite the gods
or sacred spirits to enter the body of the dancers and put
them in a state of trance. It dates back to the ancient Pre-Hindu
culture, a time when the Balinese people strongly believed
that a dance could eliminate sickness and disease. The is
dance is usually performed in the fifth or sixth month of
the Balinese traditional calendar as it is believe that during
these particular months, the Balinese are vulnerable to all
kinds of illnesses.
The War Dance - Gebug Ende
The Gebug Ende is a combination of dance and trial of
prowess. It is usually performed by two to sixty male dancers
who dance and fight on stage in pairs. Each dancer/fighter
carries a one and a half metre long rattan stick as as a weapon
and a shield called an ende. During the performance the two
men try to beat one another with the stick while using the
ende to protect themselves. The dance is called Gebug Ende
as it literally means beating the ende or shield. One cannot
afford to make mistakes in this dance as otherwise injury
results.
The Gebug Ende is quite unique as it has certain rules that
have to be followed by the participants. Led by a jury, this
dance starts with two dancers, while the rest sit in a circle,
cracking jokes and singing, while waiting their turn. The
jury decide which of the two contestants loses the game and
has to leave the stage. Then they will call the next men to
the stage. This continues until all have had a turn. Sometimes
the fight becomes very fierce and the dancers get thrown of
the stage from the blows of the rattan stick. Bruises and
wounds are common in this ritual.
Legong Trunajaya - The dance of love
and emotions
The Trunajaya dance describes the emotions of a young
man through love and passion. The dance movements reflect
the theme of courtship and love.
Truna meaning 'single' and jaya meaning 'to win' immediately
gives an understanding of the dance. Ironically, the dancer
are young women who take on the role of young men. The women
wear a 'destar' normally worn by men and an unusual loin-cloth
called a 'kancut'. The Trunajaya is normally danced by a single
female but sometimes two, dancing together in synchronous
movements and to the mesmorotic sounds of the 'Gong Kebyar',
a fast, rhythmic beat which goes in harmony to the dance.
The dance was created by Wayan Wandres, from Singaraja, Northern
Bali.
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